May 2009 Mix

Don’t get me wrong, I love living in a downtown apartment. Nothing beats being able to walk to bars, restaurants, and, most importantly, work. But when May swings around, I weep that I don’t live in a house with a yard. Nothing beats grilling out with a bunch of friends, eating too much meat, drinking too much Schlitz, playing a little wiffle ball, and listening to great music. The May Mix isn’t necessarily the soundtrack to your next cookout. But it’s that time of year that we start getting hit with the summer heat (boo) and the summer jams (yea!). Hopefully a few of these select cuts inspire you to fire up the Webber. If you do, give me a call!

Albums I enjoyed this month…well, mostly I was still listening to all that stuff that dropped in April. But a couple albums that are worth your time:

Tanya Morgan – Brooklynati: It’s not the classic I was hoping for, but it’s still pretty good. Probably my own fault for setting my expectations so high. But it’s grown on me. If I could tell the TM dudes one thing: no more skits!

NOMO – Invisible Cities: These guys have really built out a nice little niche for themselves. I don’t know what you call their sound (afrobeat-jazz-psych?), but it’s a sound all their own (and one that sounds great outside in the summer).

Kid Cudi – Dat Kid From Cleveland: I didn’t see why Kanye signed this guy. Now I do. One of the best mixtapes of the year.

Now to your May 2009 Mix:

1) Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
Every once in a while, you need some steel guitar in your life.

2) Kid Cudi (ft. Sharam) – She Came Along
Start the track. Wait for it. You hear something slowly fading in. Then you hear that bass drum hit. Guitar. Other drums. Then that rubber-band baseline drops at the 0:44 mark, and all is right in the world.

5) Major Lazer – Hold the Line
Only to be broken out at the cookout after the tequila has had a chance to work its magic.

6) Rye Rye (ft. MIA) – Bang Bang (DJ Booman Remix)
Not the best song on the mix, but one that will certainly work its way into your ear and do its best to stay there for a while.

7) De Tropix – Brap
Yeah, so I’m kind of on the nuts of anything posted at the Mad Decent blog other than that house music sh!t. Plus, this song is what I hope Trinidad sounds like when I go there in September. (courtesy of Mad Decent)

17) Tanya Morgan – So Damn Down
I couldn’t disagree more, but Byron Crawford’s description of this song is still pretty funny: “Gayer than eight guys blowing nine guys, with one cock left over in case someone wants to take a break.”

18) Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No
Dude is two-for-two. Both the singles he’s realeased have been incredible.